


Of Scarves and Petals

by Britkiir



Series: The Papyrus Chronicles [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, kinda angsty, lotsa fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 19:50:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11585001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Britkiir/pseuds/Britkiir
Summary: You're close to death, you can feel it...Until an unlikely hero comes to your aide.What could he want?





	Of Scarves and Petals

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation sorta of Of Bones and Paper and Dear Diary. Might continue it after this as well!

You couldn’t breathe.

 

You’d been running for who knows how long.

 

Your legs were screaming for rest and your lungs were on fire… but you couldn’t stop.

 

Waterfall was dark and cold, and there were dangerous monsters lurking around every corner. You were running low on items to replenish your health, but that wasn’t the first thing on your mind.

 

You’d found Flowey again, and he was just as scared as you were. He’d asked- no, _begged_ – to come with you, to which you agreed. He was now wrapped around your arm, tucked up under your jaw as you ran, red scarf fluttering in the wind behind you.

 

You skidded to a halt as you entered a patch of tall grass, hunkering down to catch your breath. Hot tears gathered at the edges of your eyes and you quickly dabbed them away.

 

You were being _hunted._

 

God, these monsters wanted to _kill_ you!

 

You doubled over, hugging yourself and shaking to your very core.

 

“H-Hey, we really shouldn’t stop for long,” Flowey whispered, the tremor in his voice proving he was just as afraid as you were, “We could be being followed.”

 

You w _ere_ being followed.

 

You sniffled, hiding your face in your scarf. Well, your borrowed scarf. Part of you wished you could go back to that somewhat cozy shed in Snowdin… At least there only one monster was after your soul.

 

Flowey nudged against your cheek, his petals soft against your skin but it did little to comfort you. You were grateful for his presence, but now it only served as a reminder that not only was your life at stake, but his as well.

 

There were footsteps, heavy and menacing, somewhere above you. You curled tighter into yourself, whimpering quietly.

 

Flowey shook against your shoulder, whispering, “She’s here…”

 

You knew who he was talking about, of course. You’d gathered enough information to know who Undyne was, and why she was after you. She was the Ex-Captain of the Royal Guard, her desire to capture a human soul driving her to the brink of malicious insanity.

 

And once Papyrus had reported to her that he had found a human… Well, you were prey now. _Her_ prey.

 

Pebbles rained down from above, tumbling down over your concealed form and vanishing into the ground at your feet.

 

You didn’t dare move, blink, or breathe, for fear she would pounce on you.

 

It seemed like forever before she moved, heavy armored feet stomping away, but you still wouldn’t move. You sat there for what could have been hours, staring out into the darkness of the tall spades of grass.

 

There was movement to your right and your heart leapt into your throat.

 

Oh, _god_ , she found you!

 

You scrabbled to your feet and darted to the left, your sudden movements startling the flower monster on your shoulder. Pure adrenaline pumped through your veins as your feet pounded against the damp earth but you were determined to flee, determined to get the hell out of here.

 

You came to a stream that covered the path and plunged in, the water a lot colder than you were expecting but you didn’t let it hinder you. The scarf around your neck was almost whipped from you and you panicked, unsure if it was from the sweeping current or if your assailant had tried to snatch it from you.

 

You tripped just as you reached the edge of the water but still attempted to crawl away. The footsteps splashed into the water, and you could hear them coming up behind you. Your fingers dug into the wet ground and struggled to pull yourself free, full tears falling down your dirty cheeks as you cried out. You were so tired, and your body refused to cooperate.

 

They stopped, and you could feel them watching you. A hunter and their game.

 

This was it.

 

You were going to die.

 

Your soul was going to be ripped from your body and you would never see home again.

 

“YOU FOOLISH GIRL.”

 

You blinked, your heart pounding as you recalled that familiar voice. A voice you’d oddly been wishing to hear for days, _weeks._

 

He reached down, his huge hand wrapping around your arm and lifting you from the mud to stand on your own two feet. Stars, you were such a mess… And you’d grown thin. When was the last time you rested? All of these thoughts were cut short when you began to blubber, gripping onto his scarf like it was your lifeline.

 

“Puh… Pa-Papyrus…”

 

The tall skeleton monster studied you, the reason for your tears eluding him. “LOOK AT YOU,” he chastised, tugging a white handkerchief from his pocket, “YOU’VE GOT DIRT ALL OVER YOUR FACE.” He stooped down to wet the cloth before dabbing it across your cheeks, effectively cleaning the dirt and tears from your skin.

 

Flowey cowered behind your veil of hair, choosing to keep silent as the skeleton continued to check you for any sign of injury or issue.

 

“HAVE YOU EATEN?”

 

You shook your head.

 

“HAVE YOU SLEPT? AT ALL?”

 

Again, all you did was shake your head ‘no’.

 

This angered Papyrus. He bent down to be eye level with you, his hands holding you firmly around your biceps. “DO YOU _WANT_ TO DIE?”

 

You trembled at his closeness, a fresh wave of tears brimming your eyes. “N-No..!”

 

“EVIDENTLY YOU DO, YOU IMBECILE! HUMANS NEED FOOD AND SLEEP TO SURVIVE, AND YOU HAVE BEEN NEGLECTING YOURSELF OF BOTH.”

 

You furrowed your brow, “Well, what am I supposed to do?!”

 

He fumbled, his grip on you faltering for just a minute. How dare you raise your voice at him?! “WATCH YOUR TONGUE, HUMAN, OR I WILL RELIEVE YOU OF IT!”

 

“Do it!” You shoved his hands from you, frustration overshadowing your fear. “That would be paradise compared to what I’ve been through! I’ve been running nonstop for freaking days, out of food and water, with no clue where I’m supposed to be going!”

 

“OUT,” he supplied, “YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GOING OUT!”

 

“And where is ‘out’?! How do I even get there?!” You stomped a foot at him, splashing water up onto his black jeans. “You just kicked me out, let me walk like a piece of freaking meat out here for everyone to fight over!”

 

Again, Papyrus faltered. He had set you free! How dare you be ungrateful to him?! He could have killed you for himself. Part of him was regretting the fact that he didn’t…

 

But you were right.

 

He _did_ just kick you out of the only protection you had, even if it was just his shed. You were safe. And now you weren’t. 

 

You were his responsibility.

 

“FINE.” He glanced to the side, refusing to meet your confused gaze. “SINCE YOU HAVE PROVEN TO BE INCAPABLE TO PROTECT YOURSELF, IT SEEMS THAT I MUST LEAD YOU THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND LIKE A CHILD.”

 

“Wh-What?”

 

He reached out and snatched your hand from your side, walking ahead. You stumbled along after him, your wet shoes sloshing against the mud. He tried to be gruff and harsh, but the grip on your wrist was gentle, hardly a tug.

 

You hurried up behind him, walking no less than a foot behind his stride. Being closer to him made you feel safe… Way safer than you’d felt in a while.

 

In all honesty, you were very thankful he had shown up. Had it been Undyne… You would surely be dead.

 

You glanced down at where his hand was clenched around your wrist. Without thinking much of it, you wriggled your arm from his grasp and fit your hand into his, wrapping your fingers securely around the palm of his glove.

 

Papyrus faltered, his normally gruff and stern face dropping for just a moment. Your hand was warm and it fit nicely in his palm… And he could feel you close behind him, which was honestly really nice…

 

Wait.

 

Nice?!

 

Since when did Papyrus think anything was _nice?!_

Augh, you were human, for Asgore’s sake! If anything, you were tolerable at best and that was Papyrus being kind with his words. The more he thought about it, he could feel your hand burning against his. Or was his the one that was warming up, accompanied by the redness on his cheekbones?

 

However… If you were just tolerable, why had he worried himself senseless? He didn’t _have_ to come after you. As a matter of fact, he detested the fact that he did. He could have just let Undyne have you. At least that way you would be taken care of, and Undyne would have the human soul needed to break the barrier.

 

You were a pawn in their freedom. Nothing more.

 

Papyrus quickly snatched his hand from your grasp, moving to clench it into a fist at his side as he marched on. You faltered behind him, his current action catching you by surprise. Still, you followed him through the tunnels of Waterfall, only you stayed a little farther behind.

 

Flowey nudged you. “Hey… Why’re we following him? For all we know, he could be planning something…”

 

You hadn’t thought of that… Papyrus had said he was escorting you ‘out’, but there was no guarantee that you’d be alive once you got there. Still… Something deep inside you told you Papyrus was being sincere in his actions, even if he was just a little rough around the edges.

 

“I’m sure we’ll be okay, Flowey,” you mumbled, raising a finger to gently stroke one of his leaves in a comforting manner.

 

“How can you be sure? Didn’t he try to take your soul, too?” Flowey tried to keep his voice down, eyeing the skeleton marching in front of you.

 

You glanced up at Papyrus’ back, him looking strangely incomplete without his scarf. You hunkered down in it, holding the long part of the cloth that usually whipped behind you. You smiled, running your thumb over the smooth fabric. “Well… I don’t know, I just have a feeling. Maybe he isn’t so bad, y’know, deep down.”

 

Flowey gave Papyrus an incredulous glance, “Yeah like… Really, _really_ deep down…”

 

You giggled, causing the flower monster to smile. Your laughter reached the monster ahead of you and he stopped, turning to glare at you over his shoulder. You almost bumped right into him, sputtering to a stop.

 

“IS SOMETHING HUMOROUS TO YOU, HUMAN?”

 

“Um,” you gulped, raising your eyes to meet his judging lights, “N-No, not really…”

 

He gauged you, eye lights flicking from you to the flower monster on your shoulder. You fidgeted beneath his scrutinizing gaze, tugging at his scarf gently.

 

He cleared his throat, straightening his spine to seem (even) taller. “I WOULD ADVISE KEEPING YOUR GIRLISH GIGGLING DOWN TO A MINIMUM, HUMAN. WE COULD DO BEST WITHOUT BEING SPOTTED.”

 

Casting your eyes to the ground, you nodded. Flowey sent him a glare as he turned back around, heading off ahead again.

 

 

You’d been following Papyrus for who knows how long, and by now all the adrenaline had left your body. Now you felt heavy as lead, feet dragging behind as you struggled to keep up with his long strides. He’d chastised you several times to keep up and quit dawdling, but you hadn’t eaten in days… Sleep was but a memory to you.

 

In the back of your mind, you’d whispered that you’d give anything to sleep in that shed again.

 

Willing yourself to catch up to the tall monster, your stumbling feet caught on a stone partially stuck out of the damp dirt. Effortlessly you were flung to the ground, tired eyes clenching themselves closed as you collided with the earth.

 

Papyrus had turned to berate you again, barely getting the word ‘human’ out of his mouth when he saw you tumble into the dirt. He stayed away, watching with odd emotions as you struggled to push yourself up from the dirt.

 

You tried once, twice, three times to right yourself, but your arms just shook beneath you to no avail, and you want tumbling down again. Flowey slithered from your shoulder to the ground, planting his roots beneath the surface as he tried to help you at least to your knees by pushing his leaves against your shoulder.

 

Papyrus felt… Bad. Seeing you struggled in such a state, while weeks ago would have given him great pleasure, just made him feel ill. He couldn’t stand it, taking three large strides towards you.

 

Your heavy eyes followed him faintly, lids screaming for rest and head swimming from exhaustion.

 

Papyrus knelt down, his sharp knees digging into the dirt, and carefully slipped his hands beneath your form. You were limp as he adjusted you against his chest and your head lolled back and forth until he rested it against his shoulder.

 

Flowey watched as he held you, quietly judging as Papyrus gazed at your semi-conscious face. He noticed as Papyrus’ features softened considerably, morphing into something that kind of resembled… Worry? Kindness? Flowey couldn’t tell, but it was definitely something he hadn’t seen on the skeleton’s face before.

 

Papyrus cast a glance over at him, the disgusted look back on his face before he started walking again. Flowey ducked down, barely dodging a sharp boot that definitely could have ripped out one of his petals.

 

Your vision blurred, everything almost running into one murky color. Papyrus’ face still stood out against the inky black of the walls and you struggled to keep your eyes open. “Papyrus..?”

 

He grunted, keeping his eyes looking ahead.

 

You raised a hand and placed it on his chest, attempting to get his attention. He sucked in a quick breath, glancing down at you, but said nothing.

 

“Thank you… For coming for me,” you mumbled, your lips dry and cracked from lack of care. Your fingers idly fiddled with the cloth of his shirt, finding it incredibly soft to the touch despite it’s scary appearance.

 

Papyrus almost blundered his words- Which is outrageous, as Papyrus _never_ blunders- looking away from you. He had to come up with an excuse… Something that didn’t make it seem like he cared because he didn’t care. At all.

 

“YOU ARE NO USE TO ME IF YOU PERISH.” His voice was harsher than he expected, but it didn’t seem to phase you. “YOU DIE, YOUR SOUL DIES.”

 

You tucked the scarf up over your chin and closed your eyes. You felt safe… Which was odd, but welcome.

 

 

 

You woke some time later, a blinding blue shining through your eyelids. Blinking a few times, you discovered the blue light was just illuminated water, the light bouncing off the walls and the ground around you.

 

You were laid right on the edge of it, and while you should have been startled, you felt rested enough to sit up. Your arms still felt heavy, and you had a huge headache, but thankfully you weren’t as exhausted as before.

 

The rustling of grass caused you to glance around and take in your new surroundings.

 

You were in a small space, and alcove of sorts, with one way in being a sort of doorway covered in tall grass, no doubt hidden from the outside. There were beautiful glowing stones in the ceiling, and they shimmered like the stars you so longed to see again. Around you flowed small streams of the bright water, and it filled the room with gorgeous blue lighting.

 

Papyrus ducked into the room, a brown satchel slung over his shoulder. He noticed you almost immediately, his face flat and expressionless. You watched as he neared you, dropping the bag to the ground in front of you.

 

Your curious eyes flicked from the bag to him, silent under his stoic gaze.

 

“WELL, OPEN IT!” He barked at you, making you flinch and reach for the bag.

 

Inside you found various food items, some water bottles, and pills of some sort. So… He had gone and gotten these for you… And brought you somewhere safe to rest. Your heart soared for a moment, finding it hard to believe that someone like Papyrus would do something like this for you.

 

Papyrus crossed his arms over his chest, furrowing his brow bone at your silence. “WELL?”

 

You jumped, clutching the bag to your chest as a small smile crossed your lips. “Th-Thank you, Papyrus. You’re really too kind…”

 

He scoffed, “KINDNESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THOSE ARE SIMPLY SUPPLIES TO ASSIST YOUR HEALTH AND TO KEEP YOU ALIVE.”

 

Your smile didn’t fade as you glanced back down. “Still… Thank you anyway.”

 

Papyrus’ face tinted a light scarlet and he quickly hid it beneath his hand, turning away from you. Stars… What was wrong with him? He’d started… _Feeling_ things ever since he had caught you sleeping in the arms of his brother, and being around you just intensified them almost tenfold. “REST UP,” he commanded, “WE CANNOT STAY HERE FOR LONG. ALTHOUGH IT IS WELL HIDDEN, IT IS DANGEROUS TO REMAIN IN ONE PLACE.”

 

Nodding, you retrieved one of the bottles from the bag and opened it, trying not to drink the entire contents in two gulps. Once you finished that and ate a few bars of ice cream (?), Papyrus fished the pills from the bottom of the bag. He dumped two of them out into his glove and held them out to you.

 

You eyed them suspiciously. “What are those for?”

 

“DOES IT MATTER?”

 

You gave him a look, quirking a brow. “Well, I would like to know what I’m putting in my body…”

 

He rolled his eye lights, seeming to be annoyed with your apprehension. “DO YOU HONESTLY BELIEVE I WOULD GIVE YOU SOMETHING DANGEROUS? AFTER ALL I HAVE BEEN THROUGH?”

 

Nibbling on your lip, you answered, “No…”

 

“THEN TAKE THEM. YOU WILL FEEL BETTER AFTERWARD.”

 

Carefully, you plucked the pills from his palm and eyed them. They looked… Well, normal. Like Tylenol or something of the sort, but you couldn’t really tell. Casting a nervous glance up to Papyrus for a moment, you popped them into your mouth and downed them with a gulp of water.

 

“THEY WILL MAKE YOU SLEEPY, BUT THEY ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALING PROCESS,” he informed, placing the bottle back into the bag.

 

You nodded, tugging your sleeves down over your hands as you slightly hugged yourself. “Thank you…”

 

He scoffed again. “STOP THANKING ME. IT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry-“

 

“NYAH, DO NOT DO THAT EITHER!” He sat down next to you, his back against the stone wall as he held his temples in his hand. “JUST… BE SILENT.”

 

You nodded, shifting over to lean against the wall as well, and tucked your legs up to your chest. You could feel the medicine working, your arms feeling warm and heavy. The presence of Papyrus next to you was comforting and allowed you to relax. Instantly you curled up next to him, your head resting against his shoulder.

 

Papyrus felt you against him and he went rigid, that same blasted warmth rising to his face. Your arms moved to wrap around his own, tugging him into your chest as you made yourself comfortable, the waves of sleep rushing over you.

 

He wanted to be angry, to push you off of him and remove himself from the situation. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no reason for him to be angry… Stars, he was tired of always being angry, of always feeling like there was something to prove.

 

Here, in this secluded space, alone with just you… Papyrus realized he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. He didn’t have to put up a harsh front with you, but part of him felt like if he didn’t…

 

If he didn’t… What?

 

What could possibly happen?

 

Would you judge him? Would you hurt him? He doubted that, but maybe it was that fear of the possibility.

 

You shifted against him, most of your weight stuffed into his side by this point. Carefully, he tugged his arm free of your grasp, choosing to drape it across your shoulders instead. He was stiff in his movements, these actions being foreign to him, but succeeded in gently resting you more comfortably with him.

 

Papyrus didn’t need sleep. He would go days without it and feel completely fine. But while you were resting, he didn’t see any reason not to rest as well. Slipping his sockets shut, he tilted his head back against the wall, bringing your sleeping form closer to him.

 

 

 

You woke some time later, eyes still heavy with sleep. Shifting around, you felt a weight down over your hip. You glanced down and found an arm draped over you, a red gloved hand resting snugly against your side. You flushed, looking up to find Papyrus asleep, his skull slightly tilted to you.

 

Pulling yourself into a sitting position, you took this chance to really get a good look at him. If you were being honest, Papyrus wasn’t a terrible looking monster… On the contrary you found his sharp bones to be quite handsome if not a bit intimidating.

 

Without thinking, you lifted your hand to hover just in front of his face. You yearned to touch him, to get to know him for some reason… Your fingertips ghosted over his high cheekbones, feeling their sharpness beneath your touch. You traced them all the way down his angular jaw, following it all the way to where is spine met his skull.

 

He moved under your admissions but didn’t wake, for that you were grateful. This wasn’t something you had been able to experience before, and doing so was making you see the monster in a whole new light. Papyrus wasn’t the horror he made himself out to be. He’d saved you, sought after you, and took care of you when you needed it most.

 

You owed your life to him.

 

Your right hand lifted to the scar over his left socket. It was deep and ugly, dark against his white bone. Gingerly, as if he were made of glass, you passed your thumb down the expanse of the crack, almost as if you could heal it with your touch.

 

He let out a sigh, tilting his skull into your hand, nuzzling into the warmth it provided. He looked at peace, lost in whatever dreams he was dreaming. You found yourself wondering what someone like Papyrus would dream about.

 

Your eyes drifted from the scar over his eye down to his menacing looking teeth. He and Sans both had vicious fangs, and initially they had terrified you. But now… Now you gently ran your fingers over them, the tips ending in fine points, locking together almost perfectly.

 

You scooted closer, almost between his legs, and brought your hand down to rest upon his sternum. There was a pulse there, not unlike a human heartbeat, but it was slightly more rhythmic, a melody you could touch. It was slow, but strong and you could feel it clearly.

 

‘His soul’, you thought, dipping your head down to press your ear to his rib cage, ‘It’s beautiful…’

 

Papyrus stirred again, this time actually waking completely. You jolted back up, your face flushed from embarrassment of being caught. When his sockets opened, he eyed you and your position. Your hands were pressed to his lower ribs, your form still bent towards him as you didn’t have the chance to completely right yourself.

 

Nothing was said for a long while. He just looked at you, studying you while you simply stared at him, partially too afraid to do anything else. He moved, startling you to yanking your hands from him, recoiling back into yourself.

 

“I am not going to hurt you,” he said, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it.

 

“I… I know that,” you replied, tucking some of your hair behind your ear.

 

Silence fell again, and when you looked to Papyrus it seemed that he was struggling with something to say. His brow bone was furrowed in frustration and he refused to meet your gaze, focusing on something that was off to the side.

 

Just as you were about to ask him if he was alright, he hit you with a question.

 

“What do you think… of me?”

 

You blinked, confusion written across your face, but he waited patiently for your reply. Papyrus was actually being courteous, letting you think for a moment.

 

You thought to yourself, running his question over and over in your head. It was an odd inquiry to be sure, and one you really had to dig deep for…

 

You sucked in a breath, “Well… I think you try really hard.”

 

He stayed silent, intent on letting you continue.

 

“You hold yourself to such a standard that you strive to meet, no matter the cost,” your hands fiddled with the red scarf around your shoulders, “And you make sure others know that you’re strong and powerful and proud, and I find that really admirable.” Smiling, you glanced away, “But I also think… That deep down, you’re kind. Somewhere along the way to who you are now, you had to change from being kind to being harsh, and maybe that was what you needed to survive.

 

“But sometimes that’s how life is, and we have to do what we have to do to make it to the end of the day. You care a lot for your brother, even if you don’t say it. And Sans thinks the world of you, even if he doesn’t say so either.”

 

Papyrus was quiet even after you had spilled your thoughts, and you were worried you had upset him somehow. You opened your mouth, ready to apologize, before you were cut off by being yanked into his arms. He wrapped you in an embrace, shoving your face gently into his shoulder and he just sat there. Hugging you.

 

You could practically hear your own heartbeat in your ears and your face was on fire, but slowly, tentatively, you brought your arms around him as well. Your fingers clutched onto his armor, the softness beneath your face somewhat comforting.

 

“I WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL YOU, YOU KNOW.”

 

You nodded against his form, knowing full well that you were supposed to die when he harvested your soul. And yet, here you were, alive and well all because of him.

 

“I COULD HAVE HAD EVERYTHING. FAME. FORTUNE,” he sighed, “EVERYTHING. IT WAS ALL IN THE PALM OF MY HAND.”

 

You felt him raise one of his hands, his gloved fingers raking through your hair. He was being so gentle, so open with you.

 

“BUT THEN… WHEN I DISCOVERED YOU IN SNOWDIN, CLOSE TO DEATH AND FREEZING, SOMETHING TORE INSIDE ME.” He tilted his skull down to where his teeth were almost pressed against the top of your head, letting out a sigh. “SOMETHING… TORE AT MY SOUL. I KNEW THEN THAT I HAD TO SAVE YOU, AND INITIALLY I WAS CONVINCED THAT I FEARED OF LOSING YOUR SOUL AND NOT HAVING WHAT I DESIRED.”

 

You listened to him, quiet while your fingers traced circles along his back.

 

“AND THEN… I WITNESSED YOU WITH MY BROTHER AND,” his arms tightened around you, almost protectively, “I FELT BETRAYED. AND I HAVE YET TO UNDERSTAND WHY. I EVEN WENT AS FAR AS FORBIDDING SANS TO INTERACT WITH YOU.”

 

Furrowing your brow, you moved to look at him but he held you in place with your face away from him.

 

Papyrus felt a burning in his chest, and he recognized it as the lingering feeling of that odd betrayal. It bothered him to think about it. “AND THEN I FELT… SOMETHING. SOMETHING WAS NOT RIGHT AFTER I RELEASED YOU INTO WATERFALL, AND IT PLAGUED ME FOR DAYS. MY THOUGHTS HAD KEPT RETURNING TO YOU. SO I FOLLOWED YOU.”

 

A dry chuckle escaped him, and it sounded sad to you.

 

“I HAD FEARED THE WORST… THAT UNDYNE HAD ALREADY CAPTURED YOU. THAT YOU WERE BEING DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL AND…”

 

“And..?”

 

“…AND THAT YOU WERE DEAD.”

 

You pushed yourself away now, slight irritation laced in your voice. “Why would you have cared? You wanted me dead the moment you met me!”

 

He still kept his arms locked around you, refusing to let you go too far.

 

“You kept me in your shed! You treated me like a pet, like I didn’t know you were just waiting for the perfect moment to take my soul!” Tears of frustration bit at your eyes. “I just wanted to go home!”

 

Papyrus furrowed his brow bone at you, “I KEPT YOU IN THE SHED TO KEEP YOU FROM THE ELEMENTS. I NURSED YOU BACK TO HEALTH, JUST AS I HAVE DONE NOW.”  


“I didn’t ask you for that,” you bit back.

 

“YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO!”

 

“Well maybe you should have just let me die out there!” You pushed away from him more. “Instead you kicked me out and let Undyne set her sights on me, and now she’s hunting me!”

 

“STOP-!”

 

“I’m going to die either way!” You were pounding against his chest now, all the frustration from the past few weeks finally breaking. You were angry. You were scared. You were confused. “Just kill me now and get it over with!”

 

“WHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!” He gripped you by the arms, ceasing you from hitting him anymore as he pulled you close. “THE THOUGHT OF KILLING YOU DISGUSTS ME!”

 

You wanted to argue back, but he cut you off again.

 

“HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE COME TO CARE FOR YOU?! THAT ALL I DESIRE NOW IS TO PROTECT YOU, AND KEEP YOU SAFE?!” There was desperation in his voice. “ALL THAT IS OF IMPORTANCE TO ME ANYMORE IS YOU!”

 

You blinked, “Wh-What?”

 

“WHAT THESE FEELINGS ARE… I HAVE NEVER HAD THEM BEFORE. IT IS ALL NEW AND DIFFERENT FOR ME,” he confessed, his grip on your wrists tightening ever so slightly, “ALL THAT I AM CERTAIN OF IS THAT I WISH TO BE AROUND YOU. I WISH TO MAKE YOU LAUGH AND SMILE LIKE SANS DOES. I WISH TO DESIGN PUZZLES WITH YOU, TO SEE YOU EVERY DAY,” he flushed, his voice dropping to almost a normal tone, “TO SEE YOU EACH NIGHT.”

 

“Papyrus,” you ventured, feeling your heart pound in your chest, “What… Are you saying that…”

 

He then gazed at you with anticipation. “YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?! TELL ME! I DEMAND TO KNOW!”

 

Your face was a million shades of red as you struggled to find the words. “Um… Well… From what I understand, you basically just told me that… You love me?”

 

He contemplated this for a moment. “I… LOVE YOU..?”

 

You quickly looked away, snatching your wrists out of his grasp.

 

“I LOVE YOU,” he repeated, as if he was trying the whole phrase out.

 

As if it were possible you felt your face heat up more. Papyrus, THE Great and Terrible, had just confessed to you about his feelings. For you.

 

A gloved hand reached out, his thumb and index fingers gently forcing you to look back at him. His own skull had a dusting of red, and the way he was looking at you was unlike anything he’d sent your way before.

 

“Papyrus..?”

 

“I LOVE YOU. THAT SOUNDS RIGHT… I LOVE YOU, (NAME).”

 

Your heart fluttered in your chest, beating against your ribs wildly. He didn’t give you a chance to respond, pulling you close enough to press his teeth to your lips in an odd, but sweet, kiss. He moved against your lips, teeth nipping softly at your soft skin. His other arm draped itself across the small of your back, tugging you closer to him.

 

The kiss lasted a few seconds before he broke away, small amounts of glee traced all across his face. You had to admit… He was a pretty good kisser. Part of you wondered if he’d ever kissed anyone before.

 

“GET SOME MORE REST,” he commanded, his voice having lost all of its brashness, “AND KNOW I WILL WATCH OVER YOU UNTIL YOU WAKE. WE STILL HAVE A LONG JOURNEY AHEAD.”

 

You nodded, moving forward to tuck yourself into his embrace once more, the fluttering in your chest difficult to ignore. You slept easily, knowing now that you were safe.


End file.
